Chanhassen Villager - Comments

The Dow Jones industrials

FAdams — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:31:43 -0500

The Dow Jones industrials plunged as much as 800 points before closing with a loss of about 360 on Monday, Oct. 6. Investors sold on a growing realization that the credit crisis is likely to take a heavy toll around the world, according to the New York Times.

The latest Rasmussen Reports

FAdams — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:51:41 -0500

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that if the American people could vote to keep or replace the entire Congress, 59% of voters would like to throw them all out and start over again; just 17% would vote to keep the current legislators in office.

Vice Presidential debate

FAdams — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:49:48 -0500

Vice Presidential debate spirited

Thursday night's debate between Republican Vice Presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Democrat contender Deleware Sen. Joe Biden was viewed by more people than any vice presidential debate since 1992, according to Nielson ratings.

Questions about the impartiality of PBS moderator Gwen Ifill might remain unanswered, though. Ifill gave Biden three last words at the end of a segment to Palin's one.

However flustered she may have been following a clumsy interview with CBS News, Palin was on the offensive through most of the debate. National news reports have described her performance and speech as "folksy" and lacking substance.

Maybe that means speaks clearly, like a regular person, not a politician. Maybe it means she didn't answer the questions how her opponent and the moderator wanted. Maybe it means she talked about having a record of reform, Main Street common sense, and dealing with energy issues.

By all accounts, the debate was Palin's to lose. Relatively unknown nationally until five weeks ago, the former city council and mayor had shown poorly in recent interviews. Questions about her readiness for the position abounded.

For the first 10 minutes of the debate, Palin was a deer in the headlights. She quickly moved to the safe ground of rehearsed talking points. Building confidence, she smiled, cracked jokes and had her opponent looking flummoxed for much of the rest of the debate.

That being the case, many national media polls claim Biden won, and McCain seems to be falling in the polls.

From the Sarvi for Congress

FAdams — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:45:42 -0500

From the Sarvi for Congress campaign

EAGAN, Minn. – Today, as Americans ponder their financial security and the crisis on Wall Street persists, Minnesota 2nd Congressional District Democrat Steve Sarvi issued the following statement:

“Congress must act quickly, but it’s how Congress acts that matters most. I hope whatever action Congress takes will ensure the following:

1. We get something for our money. We should gain equity stakes in the institutions, as proposed to AIG last week, not just give them a free lunch.

2. We prevent this from happening again. This crisis erupted on President Bush’s watch and is the result of years of Republican ‘hands-off,’ no-regulation policies. Now we’re being asked for a blank check to save companies whose bad behavior, combined with lack of oversight, got us into this mess. Congress can’t let President Bush or Wall Street waste any more of our money. We need to ensure proper oversight is part of our plan so that we never see a repeat of our current situation.

3. The people’s money goes to those who need it most. Congress must ensure that people in danger of losing their homes and not just people on Wall Street get help.

“Frankly, we’re lucky this crisis isn’t worse,” Sarvi continued. “President Bush and John Kline wanted to invest our Social Security with the same companies whose irresponsible behavior has gotten us into this mess.

“It’s heartening to see bi-partisan cooperation on this issue, but we need to make sure we land on the right solution. We need to change course and bring common sense back to Washington and Wall Street. I am willing to stand up to my president, my party and big corporate interests to do it – because this isn’t the government’s money, it’s the people’s money. As a city administrator and small town mayor, I never forgot that, and we can’t let Washington forget it, either.”

PBS journalist Gwen Ifill,

FAdams — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:34:54 -0500

PBS journalist Gwen Ifill, moderator of the upcoming vice presidential debate, said that she'd remain impartial, even though she's writing a book titled: "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama," which is to be published by Doubleday on Jan. 20, 2009, the day a new president is inaugurated.

The day before the Joe Biden-Sarah Palin debate, columnist Michelle Malkin wrote in the New York Post about Ifill's book, saying "she's so far in the tank for the Democratic presidential candidate, her oxygen delivery line is running out."

The McCain campaign found out about Ifill's book in the last day or so, a spokesman said.

Ifill's resume includes jobs at The New York Times, the Washington Post and NBC News. She moderated the 2004 vice presidential debate between ****** Cheney and John Edwards.

From Franken for Senate

FAdams — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:35:36 -0500

From Franken for Senate Campaign

Franken: No More Blank Checks For This Administration - Not After Billions Spent In Iraq With No Oversight

SAINT PAUL [09/23/08] - With Minnesota’s middle-class families, already struggling in the Bush-Coleman economy, now being asked to foot the bill for a trillion-dollar bailout of the financial services industry, DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken today announced the principles that he would demand in any bailout package.

Al Franken:

“If we’ve learned anything during the Bush-Coleman era, it’s that when we hand over tax dollars to these folks, we’d better get a receipt. We need to take action to avoid economic disaster - but the era of putting powerful special interests first and ignoring Minnesota’s middle class has got to end.”

This weekend, Coleman asserted that if the bailout was approved, “the government could make 10 or 20 times what it pays on this.” Franken today called on Coleman to explain his reasoning for such an estimate, as no economist has suggested such a “rosy outcome,” according to the Politico.

Franken announced that he would only support a bailout plan if it adhered to these principles:

1. No blank check. “Not one dime should go to this bailout without independent oversight, real accountability, and complete transparency.”

2. Taxpayers get a stake. “If we’re footing the bill for keeping these companies afloat, taxpayers should get an equity stake so that we can share in the benefits when and if they get back on their feet.”

3. No golden parachutes. “In the public sector, there’s no such thing as a golden parachute. And if we’re going to sacrifice $2,000 for every Minnesota taxpayer to bail out these companies, these executives are going to learn about sacrifice, too. So, all excessive compensation, bonuses, and severance agreements are hereby cancelled.”

4. Bring back oversight. “We need to restore the regulatory framework dismantled with George W. Bush in the White House and Norm Coleman in the Senate so that this doesn’t happen again.”

5. Help homeowners. “The foreclosure crisis caused this problem, and we still haven’t taken the steps I’ve been proposing for months to address it. We have to freeze foreclosures and allow bankruptcy judges to re-set mortgages on primary residences.”

6. Protect consumers. “I’m calling for a new Financial Products Safety Commission with similar duties and powers to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”

Statement from Sen. Norm

FAdams — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:23:29 -0500

Statement from Sen. Norm Coleman
on the financial stabilization plan

Local Republicans rally for Coleman: (Photo by Forrest Adams): Carver County Republican rally for Republican Senator Norm Coleman in the Chanhassen Recreation Center.

October 1st, 2008 - Washington, D.C. - “In a time of crisis, leadership and statesmanship are essential. I intend to vote in favor of the bipartisan financial stabilization package. The domino effect of not acting could topple the finances of every Minnesotan. At first sight, this bill may seem to do more for Wall Street than Main Street. But, at the core, this legislation is about the availability of capital – the lifeblood of the economy. When credit freezes, banks stop lending, businesses can’t make payroll, and jobs are lost. Loans to pay for college, cars and homes become nearly impossible to obtain. Savings are jeopardized. We have no choice but to act. This bipartisan plan is crafted in a way that protects the American taxpayers and holds Wall Street accountable. It ensures no blank checks, contains stringent oversight protections to watch where the dollars are going, and limits executive compensation and golden parachutes for Wall Street executives. And, equally important, is we will create no new permanent bureaucracy. We’ve ensured that once we have achieved our goals and objectives, this plan will sunset. In our efforts to create a 21st Century financial system that works, we can’t make the mistake of simply substituting one bureaucracy for another. Once this bill passes the Senate, the House must quickly follow suit to help stabilize the economy and protect the financial future of working moms and dads. Addressing this financial crisis may not be politically popular in the short-term, but for our long-term economic security and stability it is the right thing to do.”

FINANCIAL CRISIS BILL SUMMARY
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act authorizes funding for the federal government to purchase distressed assets, with $250 billion available immediately, an additional $100 billion upon Presidential certification, and a final $350 billion subject to congressional disapproval. It also contains strong oversight and transparency measures, executive compensation restrictions, and responsible homeowner relief. The legislation also contains critical tax legislation protecting middle-class Minnesotans from higher taxes while at the same time providing important clean energy incentives, disaster relief and pro-growth incentives. Among some of the key provisions that will protect middle class Minnesotans are an AMT “patch” for 2008 which will keep the AMT from hitting up to 435,000 Minnesota taxpayers, as well as a two-year extension of the tuition deduction and teacher classroom expense deduction. The legislation also extends the R&D tax credit and the New Markets tax credit, both important to helping our economy during these challenging times. The bill also contains $17 billion for energy production tax credits for solar energy, fuel cell investment tax, and plug-in electric drive vehicles.

In addition, the bill contains a provision that prohibits health insurance companies from placing discriminatory restrictions on mental health treatment that do not exist for other physical illnesses. The measure, of which Coleman is an original cosponsor, will finally provide mental health parity for about 113 million Americans who work for employers with 50 or more employees. By requiring parity for deductibles, co-payments, annual and lifetime limits, and treatment limitations, this legislation will ensure that health plans do not place more restrictive guidelines on mental health treatment than on medical or surgical treatments.

Key Emergency Economic Stabilization Act Provisions
TAXPAYER PROTECTIONS/OVERSIGHT
o No blank check
o In 5 years, the President must submit to Congress a proposal to recoup any losses
o Taxpayers get stake in participating institutions and an opportunity to see a profit when their stocks rise.
o Creates a Financial Stability Oversight Board comprised of the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Federal Housing Finance Agency
o Creates a Congressional Oversight Panel and requires the Treasury Department to report back to Congress every month
o Treasury is required, within 2 business days to publicly disclose the details of any transaction.
o Establishes a Special Inspector General specifically for this funding
o Judicial Review

ACCOUNTABILITY
o No golden parachutes
o Limits on executive compensation
o Enhanced FBI cooperation for investigating fraud, misrepresentation, and malfeasance with respect to development, advertising, and sale of financial products.

HOMEOWNER RELIEF
o Strengthens the Hope for Homeowners program, a mortgage rescue program which was created by this summer’s housing bill (H.R. 3221)
o Extends mortgage debt forgiveness for three years, through 2012,
o For mortgages and mortgage-backed securities acquired through Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program, the Secretary must implement a plan to mitigate foreclosures and to encourage the modification of loans through Hope for Homeowners and other programs. Also allows the Secretary to use loan guarantees and credit enhancement to avoid foreclosures.

Key Tax Extender Provisions

o Midwest Disaster: Provides a range of personal, property, charitable giving and business tax relief, including waiving the 10 percent penalty tax for eligible disaster-related distributions from retirement accounts and increase in standard mileage rate for charitable use of vehicles.
o Extension through 2009 of the $4,000 Qualified Tuition Deduction
o Extension through 2009 of the $250 Teacher Expense Deduction
o Extension through 2009 of the Research and Development Tax Credit
o One year extension for Section 45 tax credits for wind and refined coal and extends other renewable sources to 2010
o Extends 30% investment tax credit for solar energy property and qualified fuel cell property through 2016
o Authorizes $800 million of new clean renewable energy bonds
o $1.5 billion in new tax credits for coal plant projects that demonstrate the greatest potential for carbon capture and sequestration technology
o Provides a new tax credit per ton for CO2 captured, transported, and sequestered from an industrial sources
o Creates a new credit for consumers who buy plug-in electric passenger vehicles
o Extends the $1 per gallon production tax credit for biodiesel through 2009
o Extends the alternative refueling stations tax credit that helps build E85 pumps through 2010

Statement from Sen. Norm

FAdams — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:21:18 -0500

Statement from Sen. Norm Coleman
on the financial stabilization plan

Local Republicans rally for Coleman: (Photo by Forrest Adams): Carver County Republican rally for Republican Senator Norm Coleman in the Chanhassen Recreation Center.

Key Tax Extender Provisions

From Franken for Senate

FAdams — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:19:49 -0500

From Franken for Senate Campaign

Franken: No More Blank Checks For This Administration - Not After Billions Spent In Iraq With No Oversight

Al Franken:

Franken announced that he would only support a bailout plan if it adhered to these principles:

1. No blank check. “Not one dime should go to this bailout without independent oversight, real accountability, and complete transparency.”

4. Bring back oversight. “We need to restore the regulatory framework dismantled with George W. Bush in the White House and Norm Coleman in the Senate so that this doesn’t happen again.”

6. Protect consumers. “I’m calling for a new Financial Products Safety Commission with similar duties and powers to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”

From Family Security

FAdams — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:12:09 -0500

From Family Security Matters

There is a whole lot of finger pointing going on in the world of politics this week. For those of you who would rather stay in the dark, stop reading. But for those who just enjoy history or want to understand how or why we got to this point in financial chaos:

1938 - Roosevelt got Fannie Mae through a Democrat-controlled congress.

1970 - Freddie Mac was created by Democrats in congress 57-43 Senate and 234-192 House.

1977 - The Community Reinvestment Act was passed by the democratic congress (61-39 Senate and 292-143 House) and signed into law by Jimmy Carter. It encouraged banks and mortgage lenders to loan money for housing to people who would not otherwise qualify (with Freddie and Fannie backing same by taking the paper).

1995 - President Clinton signed the executive order mandating lenders expand their lending for mortgages to sub-prime borrowers (that means people who would not qualify under any criteria in a sane world). Failure to do so would result in the lending institution not having access to federal funds or the quasi governmental Fannie and Freddie.

1999 - Republican Senator Phil Gramm pushed through congress deregulation laws (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) removing Depression era laws separating banking, insurance and brokerage activities. The vote in the Senate was 98-1-1. McCain was the one who did not vote, another Republican was the lone no vote. Biden and Harry Reid, who are now saying it's all Bush's fault, voted for the bill. Even Obama this week places the blamed on Gramm, but fails to mention that his running mate voted for it, and Clinton signed it into law.

2003 - President Bush tried to get congress to amend Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rules to disallow loans to people who would not qualify under normal lending institution rules for making loans.

In other words, rescind the Clinton Executive order, which had by now become the rules of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

The Democrats in the Senate (48) used the threat of filibuster to kill the bill (must have that magic 60 in the Senate to stop a filibuster).

2006 Greenspan testified before congress that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were both a house of cards and needed a lot more oversight and controls in case this country found itself in a recession in the future. That duty falls to the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Democrat Chris Dodd is Chairman. He wasn't thrilled with Greenspan's advice, because he was the number one campaign money receiver from Fannie and Freddie over the years. Obama was number 2, and he raked his largess in within two years.

Now Dodd is saying he may go for the 700 billion, but he wants more oversight, which he had in the first place, but doesn't want to point his finger at himself for not doing his job, even when told there was a big problem.

Every single piece of legislation the Republicans have put up to regulate the financial industry since 2000 has been killed in the senate by Democrats.

95% of the homeowners are paying their monthly mortgage payments. It's those 5% that are facing foreclosure that will cost the taxpayers a trillion or so if the bailout goes through.

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.1347/pub_detail.asp

AFRICOM assumes

FAdams — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:41:41 -0500

AFRICOM assumes responsibility for
military relations with 53 countries

With Africa expected to supply one quarter of the United State's oil supply by 2015, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Oct. 1, 2008, that United States Africa Command has become the sixth unified geographic command within the Department of Defense unified command structure.

Based in Stuttgart, Germany, with select personnel assigned to U.S. Embassies and diplomatic missions in numerous African nations, U.S. Africa Command is responsible for coordinating military-to-military relationships between the United States and 53 African nations, as well as African military and security organizations.

According to published news reports, over the weekend, Congress slashed Africom's 2009 budget by a third, to $225 million. It also ordered Defense Secretary Robert Gates to report back by April 1 on how the command can be improved.

Africom is inheriting responsibility for a Centcom-run base in Djibouti, where 1,800 troops are deployed to keep Horn of Africa terror networks in check. It also takes over European Command's Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Initiative and dozens of other military and maritime training programs.

Africom's deputy for military operations, Vice Adm. Robert T. Moeller, is reported to have said the following: "Our primary responsibility ... is working with our African partners to help them build their security capacity" -- mainly by training armies and peacekeepers.

There has reportedly been resistance to the program among African governments. It has allegedly been so strong that commanders abandoned initial ambitions to install a headquarters on the continent. About two dozen Africom liaison officers are posted at embassies.

About U.S. Africa Command

Africa Commandds staff of approximately 1,000 personnel -- half military and half civilian -- is dedicated to closely working with U.S agencies, African nations and organizations, and the international community to promote security and prevent conflict in support of U.S. government policies in Africa.

U.S. Africa Command is pioneering closer cooperation between government agencies by embedding members of other agencies into U.S. AFRICOM's military chain of command. These officials are not liaisons. They are fully integrated members of the staff. Senior leaders from the Departments of State, USAID, Treasury, Commerce and others bring new insights and viewpoints so that the U.S. military can more effectively support the whole of the U.S. government effort in Africa. In the years ahead, the command plans to seek international partners to join the headquarters staff, including members of African militaries.

Established in October 2007 as a sub-unified command under U.S. European Command, U.S. AFRICOM's focus during its first year was to build a unique organization dedicated to long-term partnerships. Beginning in October 2008, U.S. Africa Command is focused on synchronizing hundreds of activities inherited from three regional commands that previously coordinated U.S. military relations in Africa.

Financial Crisis: Extra "One

FAdams — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:34:25 -0500

Financial Crisis: Extra

"One of the biggest things that we can do is talk about the safety and soundness of this particular organization that we are in. That's Community Bank," said Chanhassen Community Bank President Bill Traxler.

"People can go to www.bauerfinancial.com. It gives banks a star rating. Community Bank is a five-star bank," he said.

With regards to the $700 billion price tag of the proposed Wall Street rescue package, the president of Americana said he didn't think it would be a total loss because although many of the assets that the government would buy from financial institutions are considered “troubled assets,” in theory if the government buys them at rock-bottom prices, holds them until the market recovers, and then sells them back to financial entities when the market improves, it will bring in more revenue to the government, aka the taxpayers.

He relates the situation to a couple other smaller crises he’s seen over the years. Back in the 1980s, Farm Credit Services needed to have a bailout from the government in order to stay operating. Also in the 1980s there was also a savings and loan crisis that needed government intervention. He said even though tax payers were forced in both cases to put up the money for the solutions to these problems, the money is being returned with interest.

With regards to the potential that his bank would be forced to tighten credit standards as a result of the current uproar, he said it’s already been done.

“We tightened our credit standards over a year ago. On home equity lines of credit, we used to go to 90 percent of appraisal. In July we tightened that to 80 percent,” according to Al Obernolte. “We saw this was coming. We knew that things were getting more snug.”

Financial crisis: Local

FAdams — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:31:31 -0500

Financial crisis:
Local bankers
talk about finances
By Forrest Adams

With one eyes on their elected officials in Washington, D.C., and the other on the volatile stock market in New York City, voters deal with yet another national crisis, this one financial, and they’re left asking what will happen next.

Folks who deposit money in the bank are concerned if it will be there tomorrow. Small business owners are fearful that credit at low interest rates will be unavailable for their needs. Politicians have led us to believe that home loans, car loans, student loans and the entire financial system could be in jeopardy.

Last week several local bankers and a financial advisor talked about how they’re responding to financial problems on Wall Street, misguided public policy in Washington, D.C., and how it all could reach to the proverbial Main Street of our local communities.

Americana Bank
Asked whether economic calamity is imminent, based on the financial situation as it is now Al Obernolte from Americana Bank said simply: “I don’t think so.”

He explained the problem has largely to do with mortgage-backed securities that have deteriorated in value to the point where it’s hard to determine a price for them. That creates problems for banks to lend and borrow from one another. The federal government wants to provide a backstop for the valuation of these mortgages.

Americana Bank and other community banks could be hit to the effect that larger banks that they rely on for some of their cash could have their own cash problems. It’s called a liquidity issue. Liquidity for a bank means the ability to meet its financial obligations as they come due. Liquidity is used to fund new loans, Obernolte said, adding if you have a liquidity crisis, you can’t fund new loans.

That being the case, customers shouldn’t feel panicked because 85 to 90 percent of the funding at Americana “comes from local sources, local people,” said Obernolte.

Community Bank
The situation at Community Bank is similar, where President Bill Traxler said one of the chief concerns he hears from depositors is that their deposits over $100,000 are insured.
In response to this, bank staff have been busy helping depositors structure their accounts to expand their FDIC insurance levels, Traxler said.

“Concern has risen a fair amount,” he added. “Prior to the last 60 days we got very few calls per month about this. Now we’re getting probably five calls per day.”

FDIC stands for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The FDIC protects you against the loss of your deposits if an FDIC-insured bank or savings association fails, and FDIC insurance is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. The basic insurance limit is $100,000 per depositor per insured bank.
For more information, go to www.fdic.gov.

But “there are ways to get more than $100,000 of FDIC insurance based on your accounts and how you have them titled,” Traxler said, pointing out what’s known as CDARS.

CDARS is the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service, a way to enjoy full FDIC insurance on deposits of up to $50 million. For more information, go to www.cdars.com.

Klein Bank
Marques Doppler, President of Klein Bank in Chanhassen and Victoria, added: “We work with customers to maximize their FDIC coverage and also have the CDARS Program to further enhance FDIC Insurance coverage.”

He sees challenges facing national financial institutions, but not the calamity foretold by politicians in Washington, D.C. Problems trickle down from Wall Street to Main Street most because they negatively impact customer’s perceptions, he noted in e-mail correspondence.

“With all of the media hype, there have been increasing levels of concern about FDIC Insurance coverage on deposits and questions about how the current state of the economy is impacting KleinBank,” according to Doppler.

But, like the others, he expressed confidence in the soundness of his financial institution.

“The Klein family was looked to during the Great Depression in 1931 for safety and soundness and are experiencing some of the same discussions today,” he said. “Due to our consistent and conservative financial philosophies, we have been effectively serving individuals, businesses and communities for over 101 years. None of KleinBank depositors lost money during the depression when nearly 10,000 banks failed in the United States.”

From the U.S. Chamber of

FAdams — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:17:36 -0500

From the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

September 28, 2008

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region, commends both chambers of Congress for working with the Administration to construct a bipartisan financial rescue package. The proposal, providing up to $700 billion, will provide liquidity and stability to the U.S. financial markets.

The Chamber believes the legislation contains the necessary elements to successfully remove the uncertainty and stem the turmoil that has plagued financial markets in recent weeks. Uncertainty and turmoil have lowered equity prices, eroded individual saving, bound up credit markets and threatened the U.S. economy and jobs.

The proposal, providing up to $700 billion, is large enough to work; it provides the flexibility to be implemented quickly and maintains the oversight needed to protect taxpayers. This legislation will also ensure that homeowners facing foreclosure will be direct beneficiaries of government actions and taxpayer expenditures to stabilize financial markets.

Main Street and Wall Street are inextricably linked. This proposal addresses the needs of both and will not only begin the process of righting the financial markets, but help to return the economy to robust growth, which will create jobs across America.

A time will come very soon when the new Congress and Administration will thoroughly and thoughtfully examine the developments that led to the current economic crisis and enact reforms to ensure that it does not happen again. The Chamber urges Congress to pass this legislation, remove the uncertainty, and get the U.S. economy moving forward once again. The Chamber may consider votes on, or in relation to, this issue in our annual How They Voted scorecard.

Sincerely,
R. Bruce Josten

Fire Department Open

FAdams — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:13:19 -0500

Fire Department Open House
Sunday, October 12, 1-4 pm
Fire Station #1, 7610 Laredo Drive

Join us for the annual Fire Department Open House on Sunday, October 12 from 1-4 pm at Fire Station No. 1, 7610 Laredo Drive.
Come meet the members of your Fire Department and shake hands with Sparky the fire dog! There will be lots to see and do including fire truck rides and demonstrations of extrication and the proper use of fire extinguishers. You'll also be able to spray water at the house of fire and talk with members of the dive team as they recover items under water in a dive tank. The Carver County Sheriff's Department, DARE, the Mounted Posse, Ridgeview Medical Paramedics, and Xcel Energy will also have demonstrations and exhibits. Food and beverages will also be available. So kids, grab your parents and come to the Fire Station for this big event! Don't forget your camera because Sparky loves to have his picture taken!

For more information, contact Ed Coppersmith at 952-227-1152.